More on traveling like a tourist…
NOT BOTHERING TO LEARN BASIC FOREIGN PHRASES
English is indeed widely spoken all over the world, but not making any effort isn’t in your best interests. Try to learn the basic phrases of please and thank you at the very least. More than that is even better.
NEGLECTING TO RESEARCH A COUNTRY’S CUSTOMS
One frequent traveler says there are six major areas to educate yourself about before you go to a new locale: greetings, gift giving, exchanges of money (whether to put money in someone’s hand or on the table), handshakes, body language, and food.
RELYING ON CREDIT CARDS FOR PURCHASES
Carrying zero cash and using your debit card to pay for a bottle of water is growing more and more common in the U.S., but when you’re abroad, you can’t count on plastic. Credit cards may not be widely accepted in some countries. And, while it’s a good idea to bring a credit card or two, leave all unnecessary credit cards at home.
FORGETTING THEY ARE REPRESENTING THE REST OF US
You can’t cancel out the bad behavior of every American doofus traveling abroad, but you can make a difference by being a positive example of a U.S. citizen. “Americans in general have a pretty bad reputation to try to live down,” Post says. “Any time you can go the extra effort to use every courtesy that’s available to you to show appreciation—like for the time that someone gives you in a shop—even if they don’t return it right there, I think that that is part of what it means to be an ambassador for your country when you travel.”
Great ideas…what are some things you do or don’t do when you travel?